Make happiness a priority in schools, says Nicky Morgan

Nicky Morgan joins a lesson at the Upton cross Primary School in East LondonTom Pilston/The Times

Happiness is just as important as a string of top grades, according to the education secretary, who said she did not want her legacy to be academically able students who are miserable and stressed out.

In her first interview since the election, Nicky Morgan said children’s emotional wellbeing, resilience and good mental health would be a priority now that she is back at the Department for Education.

Her comments mark a clean break with the era of Michael Gove, her predecessor and now justice secretary, who focused exclusively on boosting academic standards when he was in the job. He was suspicious that a focus on wellbeing would be used as an excuse for underachievement.

However, Mrs Morgan said that the two went hand in hand.

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